The present invention relates to stanchion systems, stanchion attachment systems (for attaching stanchions or stanchion posts to a support), and horizontal lifelines including stanchion systems.
The following information is provided to assist the reader to understand the invention disclosed below and the environment in which it will typically be used. The terms used herein are not intended to be limited to any particular narrow interpretation unless clearly stated otherwise in this document. References set forth herein may facilitate understanding of the present invention or the background of the present invention. The disclosure of all references cited herein are incorporated by reference.
Fall protection systems including safety harnesses and lanyards are commonly used as parts of fall protection systems for persons subjected to the potential of a fall from a height. Typically, a lifeline or lanyard is connected to an overhead anchorage. However, in some cases (for example, steel building erection, bridge work, pipe rack erection and maintenance, leading edge work, etc.) suitable overhead fall protection anchorage may not exist.
In cases in which no suitable overhead anchorage is available, one can create an anchorage or anchorage system for fall protection. For example, temporary horizontal lifeline systems (available, for example, from Sperian Fall Protection of Franklin, Pa.) include stanchions that attach to a support such as a steel I-beam or other support. U.S. Pat. No. 6,722,470, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, for example, discloses a number of horizontal lifeline systems in which several stanchions are attached to a beam or other support. The stanchions are spanned by a horizontal lifeline to which one or more lanyards can be attached.
Horizontal lifeline systems and stanchion systems for use therein are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,307,897, 6,173,809, 6,412,598, 6,439,344, 6,478,111, 6,688,427 and 6,799,630.
A common problem with many stanchion systems for use with horizontal lifelines and other anchorage systems, particularly when the stanchion system is designed for attachment to a flanged support (for example, a flanged beam such as I-beam or a flanged adaptor), is the requirement that a user secure the attachment system of the stanchion system to the support from underneath. For example, a number of stanchion systems include one or more bolts that are designed to abut and be tightened against the lower surface or underside of an upper flange of an I-beam. To install such a stanchion system, the user must reach underneath the stanchion system and the upper flange of the I-beam to tighten the bolt(s). This action is difficult, time consuming and potentially dangerous. Moreover, such stanchion systems also typically include a cross member or crossbar including a J-shaped or U-shaped seating on one side to seat an edge of the upper flange and an adjustable connection mechanism to secure the seating of the crossbar in secure abutting connection with the edge of the upper flange. In many currently available stanchion systems, it is difficult and/or time consuming to form (and/or maintain) such a secure abutting connection with the edge of the upper flange using the crossbar connector.
Although a number of stanchion systems, stanchion attachment systems for stanchion posts, and horizontal lifelines including stanchion systems are commercially available, it is desirable to develop improved stanchion systems, stanchion attachment systems, and horizontal lifelines including such stanchion systems that reduce or eliminate the above-identified and other problems with currently available stanchion systems, attachment systems for stanchion posts, and horizontal lifelines including stanchion systems.